Today on my blog, I’m delighted to bring you my review for The Hiding Game by Lousie Phillips. This book hits all the shops today and is sure to be a massive seller. I devoured it within two days and it’s definitely up there among my top reads of 2019. Below you’ll find the cover image and official blurb followed by my review.

The Hiding Game by Lousie Phillips

Abby Jones, a young nanny from a small town outside Boston, is the last person with infant Jacob Rotterdam when he becomes seriously ill. Within hours, tragically, he dies, and Abby is charged with his murder.

Heather Baxter, her defense attorney, knows the case is not as clear cut as the Assistant District Attorney claims, and with enormous media attention on the trial, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

When Heather digs deeper, the shadows of her own past, and her mother’s unsolved murder 25 years earlier, in the same small town, begin to unravel with deadly consequences, placing both Heather, and her young client in danger.

Will Heather find the link between Abby and what happened to her mother all those years before? And will Abby walk free?

‘A gripping courtroom drama with a courageous new heroine in Heather Baxter. Pacy, tightly plotted and full of suspense. The Hiding Game was worth the wait!’ Andrea Carter

The Hiding Game – My Review

The Hiding Game is right up there in my top reads of 2019 so far. From the first page right to the last, I was hooked. This book has it all for a crime genre. There’s courtroom drama which was superbly written, a murder, and unsolved murders dating back over 25 years. If you are looking for action, gritty tension, suspense, and a complete sense of dread on occasion, then this is definitely the book for you.

The story centres around the main character Heather. She’s a defence attorney called back to her home town to defend a young nanny called Abby Jones who as been accused of murdering the baby in her care. Heather had her reasons for leaving town and never coming back and these were partly due to the unsolved murder of her mother 25 years ago.

The story progresses with a number of points of view. The main points of view though are from Heather and her deceased mother. The additional points of view come from a number of characters but there are well done and tie into the story, moving it forward and adding even more tension.

There are characters to love, characters to hate, characters you won’t be sure of, and if like me the underlying tone and the emotional depth of this story, will keep you tossing and turning at night. In fact, I woke up from a dream having to remind myself that it was only a book 🙂

As the story progressed, I’ll admit I didn’t want to put the book down. The courtroom scenes were superb and I devoured the dialogue, everything playing out perfectly in my mind. The research that went into this must have taken so long.

The pace of the story is excellent too with so many elements to uncover and I didn’t guess who had committed the murders right until the end. I had my suspicions as I read, but they changed time and time again and new information came to light.

One of the things that really struck me about this book and how good of a writer, Ms Phillips is, is the emotional impact. It was more than just a crime novel, it was an emotional punch in the guts and so very real. The exploration of the depths of grief and the loss of a mother or child were treated with care and understanding.

I have no hesitation in giving this book 5 stars and can’t wait to pick up the paperback version too.

The Hiding Game is available now at all good bookstores as well as online at Amazon in Kindle, paperback, and audiobook versions.

Until next time,

Keep reading and writing,

Amanda